Anyway, winter is upon us which means my skin is DRY. Face and hands especially. The last few years this lovely thing has been happening where as soon as it gets cold, not only does the skin on my face get dry and dull, but it's practically flaking off my forehead (attractive!) and nothing seems to help. Yet I still break out! It's pretty awesome.

So any recommendations for a reeeally effective facial moisturizer that won't break me out? (And I've tried a couple oils, they didn't do it for me).

Also my hands are dry pretty much year-round, but with the cold and dry air and lots of hand washing to avoid getting sick it's extra bad now. Aveda hand cream works ok if I slather it on constantly, but I'd like to hear about others too if there are any you love!

I have the same problem. I have really sensitive acne prone skin and everything makes it worse. I'm looking for a new moisturizer to replace the ancient bottle of (not vegan) Olay that I'm about to finish. I know that stuff is horrible mineral oil sludge, but for some reason it didn't break me out. Anyhow, Olay animal tests and it's not vegan, so I need something else and I'm dreading the growing pains of switching.

I think the Shikai Borage Therapy stuff works pretty well. Normally I'm a fan of pure oils, but I've also been getting some flaky patches on my face since it got cold and I find smearing a bit of the Shikai on the trouble spots twice a day has really helped over the past couple weeks. They sell it at Whole Foods mostly, I've been using it on my hands in the winter for years.

They also make one for the face w/ SPF if you're looking for sunscreen too.

_________________"If I were M. de la Viandeviande, I would now write a thirteen page post about how you have to have free will to be vegan, but modern science does not suggest any evidence for free will, therefore it is impossible to be vegan." -mumbles

LUSH's Celestial facial moisturizer is lovely for dry, sensitive skin. It is an almond milk base and it is one of the more reasonably priced moisturizers.As for the hands, I use the aforementioned Handy Gurugu cream by LUSH. It is filled with the most awesome ingredients- peanut butter, cashew butter, pumpkinseed butter, plus a healthy dose of chamomile and lavender, if I'm remembering correctly. It has an earthy smell and it sinks in very quickly thanks to the shea butter base.

LUSH's Celestial facial moisturizer is lovely for dry, sensitive skin. It is an almond milk base and it is one of the more reasonably priced moisturizers.As for the hands, I use the aforementioned Handy Gurugu cream by LUSH. It is filled with the most awesome ingredients- peanut butter, cashew butter, pumpkinseed butter, plus a healthy dose of chamomile and lavender, if I'm remembering correctly. It has an earthy smell and it sinks in very quickly thanks to the shea butter base.

I've been mixing a little tiny bit of raw shea butter with a bit of jojoba oil. I put it on my face when it's a bit wet, and it seals in the moisture... I hear you can also spray rose hydrosol on before the shea/jojoba for added moisture :)

for my face, i like to mix a couple drops of essential oil (i think right now I'm using lavender and peppermint?) with grapeseed oil in a bottle with an eyedropper. I just mix a few drops with a little bit of warm water before putting it on. I'm pretty sure this is out of "make your place" by raleigh briggs, which i loooooooove.

Im loving Steamcream, think its the same people behind Lush. My skin is very similar to yours, gets dry and flakey but I still manage to break out! I have been using this for a few weeks though with no problems and my face has never felt so soft. Its vegan and not tested, and the tins are totally cute!

Thanks for all the suggestions! I'm going to try to gather as many samples as I can and test everything out.

For body lotion I really like Alba (the maximum dry skin kind). It feels thin and sinks in well, but works well and makes my skin feel soft. The scent isn't great, bu it's light and it fades. Though, hana, I might rather smell like custard!

The ONLY moisturizer that I can use that doesn't make me breakout is the Trader Joe's Facial Moisturizer. I feel like this is somewhat fortunate considering it is only like $4 a bottle, which significantly cheaper than anything at Lush or even Whole Foods.

I hate dry skin. Can't stand it. I love lotions and moisturizers and have tried many. I recommend:

Hands: Lush Dream Cream. It is thick and calming; perfection in a jar. Expensive, yes, but a little bit goes a long way. In an attempt to be thrifty, I once went through several bottles of thinner lotions in the time that it would have taken me to finish a tub of Dream Cream (several months).

What you want is a barrier cream, which protects your skin while it moisturises itself. Try vegetable shortening. Seriously, it works. Coconut fat is good if you're feeling decadent and don't want to smell like pastry.

_________________Moon - "This is the best recipe in the history of recipes forever."

Dr Hauschka Moisturising Day Cream is the business. It's vegan and it works oh so well. I used to sell it back in Ireland and I had some training in how they make this stuff. It's intense, I can't remember much but I know they harvest their crops at a certain time of day to take advantage of the beneficial properties the plant has.

Winters are super dry here, and I've been working with a combination of Lush Imperialis moisturizer (especially under my eyes and on my forehead, it seems to penetrate the skin better) and borage oil (lasts longer). Also eat healthy fats, hydrate well and (sorry if that's gross) shower only when necessary - water on skin is very drying.

Gulliver wrote:

What you want is a barrier cream, which protects your skin while it moisturises itself. Try vegetable shortening. Seriously, it works. Coconut fat is good if you're feeling decadent and don't want to smell like pastry.

My winter sports fan of a boyfriend swears by vaseline. Not a very elegant solution, but apparently it works!